Once Upon a Time in the North

When Lee and his daemon, Hester, land in the Arctic town of Novy Odense, they quickly become embroiled in an out-and-out political brawl. So when Iorek offers to help, Lee is only too happy to accept. Together they take on a slippery politician, his monstrous gas-powered gun and a murderous gunfighter. And so begins a friendship that will continue throughout their lives.

The Ruby in the Smoke

An unabridged reading of Philip Pullman's nerve-shattering thriller, set in the murky streets and opium dens of Old London. When 16-year old Sally's father drowns in suspicious circumstances, she is left to fend for herself in Victorian London. Although she doesn't know it, she is already in terrible danger.

The Complete Chronicles of Narnia: The Classic BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisations

C.S. Lewis's acclaimed and universally loved novels spring to life in these spellbinding full-cast BBC dramatisations. Anyone who's visited Narnia wants to go back again, and these radio dramas make for a hugely entertaining first-time or return journey, with a cast including Bernard Cribbins, Maurice Denham, Richard Griffiths, Martin Jarvis, Sylvester McCoy, John Sessions, Fiona Shaw and Timothy Spall.

Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection

Ever since he made his first appearance in A Study In Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes has enthralled and delighted millions of fans throughout the world. Now Audible is proud to present Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection, read by Stephen Fry. A lifelong fan of Doyle's detective fiction, Fry has narrated the complete works of Sherlock Holmes - four novels and five collections of short stories.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Book 1

Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Read by Eddie Redmayne

A set textbook at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry since publication, Newt Scamander's masterpiece has entertained wizarding families through the generations. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an indispensable introduction to the magical beasts of the wizarding world. Scamander's years of travel and research have created a tome of unparalleled importance.

Sabriel

Ever since she was a tiny child, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the random power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who won't stay dead. But now her father, the Mage Abhorsen, is missing, and to find him Sabriel must cross back into that world.

The Kill Order

When sun flares hit the Earth, intense heat, toxic radiation and flooding followed, wiping out much of the human race. Those who survived live in basic communities in the mountains, hunting for food. For Mark and his friends, surviving is difficult, and then an enemy arrives, infecting people with a highly contagious virus. Thousands die, and the virus is spreading. Worse, it's mutating, and people are going crazy. It's up to Mark and his friends to find the enemy - and a cure - before the Flare infects them all.

H.I.V.E.: Zero Hour

Overlord is reborn, and has developed the chilling ability to move from body to body, erasing the host's personality and ultimately killing them. He must find Otto, the only host designed to contain him, and for that he needs the location of H.I.V.E. He also plans to take control of a secret US Army facility that is home to the Autonomous Weapon Programme, a computer-controlled system uniquely vulnerable to his control.

H.I.V.E.: Deadlock

Otto and Raven are desperate to rescue their friends from the clutches of Anastasia Furan, head of the evil Disciples organisation. First they must track down the location of the Glasshouse, the prison where Furan trains children to become ruthless assassins. But Otto is also being hunted. The three months that Otto has spent following his expulsion from H.I.V.E. have given the Artemis Section - an elite division of the American intelligence services that specialises in capturing the toughest targets and reports only to the president - an opportunity to locate him.

Stardust

In the English countryside at the dawn of the Victorian era, life moves at a leisurely pace in the tiny town of Wall. Tristan Thorn has lost his heart to the beautiful Victoria Forester, but she is as distant as the star they see fall from the sky one evening. For the prize of Victoria's hand, Tristan vows to retrieve the star for his beloved. It is an oath that sends the lovelorn swain over the town's ancient wall and into a world that is dangerous and strange beyond imagining.

Artemis Fowl

Twelve-year-old villain, Artemis Fowl, is the most ingenious criminal mastermind in history. His bold and daring plan is to hold a leprechaun to ransom. But he's taking on more than he bargained for when he kidnaps Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance Unit). For a start, leprechaun technology is more advanced than our own. Add to that the fact that Holly is a true heroine and that her senior officer Commander Root will stop at nothing to get her back and you've got the mother of all sieges brewing!

The Wind Singer: The Wind on Fire Trilogy, Book 1

In Aramanth, exams are everything. When Kestrel rebels, her family are sentenced to the harshest punishment. To save them, Kestrel learns the secret of the wind singer and she sets out to discover the true source of the evil that grips Aramanth.

Norse Mythology

The great Norse myths are woven into the fabric of our storytelling - from Tolkien, Alan Garner and Rosemary Sutcliff to Game of Thrones and Marvel Comics. They are also an inspiration for Neil Gaiman's own award-bedecked, best-selling fiction. Now he reaches back through time to the original source stories in a thrilling and vivid rendition of the great Norse tales.

The Red Pyramid: The Kane Chronicles, Book 1

Carter and Sadie Kane's dad is a brilliant Egyptologist with a secret plan that goes horribly wrong. An explosion shatters the ancient Rosetta stone and unleashes Set, the evil god of chaos. Set imprisons Dr Kane in a golden coffin and Carter and Sadie must run for their lives. To save their dad, they embark on a terrifying quest from Cairo to Paris to the American Southwest and discover the truth about their family's connection to the House of Life: an Egyptian temple of magic that has existed for thousands of years.

H.I.V.E.: Aftershock

Otto and the rest of the elite Alpha stream at H.I.V.E. have been sent on their most dangerous exercise yet: The Hunt. But when Otto and the rest of the Alphas arrive in the icy wastes of Siberia, it becomes clear that something is wrong. Dr Nero, the head of the school, has made some powerful enemies at the Global League of Villainous Enterprises - and the first strike against Nero will be a strike against the Alpha stream.

The Hobbit

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of 13 dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an unexpected journey ‘there and back again’. They have a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.

Publisher's Summary

The thrilling second book in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, read by the author and a full cast.

In this stunning sequel to Northern Lights, the intrepid Lyra Silvertongue and her daemon, Pantalaimon, find themselves in a shimmering, haunted other world – Cittagazze where soul-eating Spectres stalk the streets and wingbeats of distant angels sound against the sky.

Here she meets twelve-year-old Will Parry, a fugitive from a third universe. Will has found a small window between Cittagazze and Oxford that brings him into this strange new realm.

Will's father, an explorer, disappeared years ago, but recently some odd characters have started asking questions about him, and now, having accidentally killed one of them, Will is wanted by the police.

Armed with the subtle knife, a tool that cuts any material (including that which separates universes) and Lyra's alethiometer, the children set out to find John Parry, with adults of various stripes in desperate pursuit.

I've read 'His Dark Materials' trilogy in print and bought the audiobooks so I could listen and knit at the same time. It's great to hear Pullman's narration and the voice actors playing the characters are really good.

Just one complaint: why the Americanisations? Pullman did not write 'sidewalk' and 'traffic circle', he wrote 'pavement' and 'roundabout'. A minor but very annoying point.

In this story William Parry leaves his mother to try and find his father, but he does not know that in a few weeks he will meet Lyra Silvertongue. Lyra and Will, with the help of the witches will set out on a perilous journey which will be blighted by Mrs. Coulter and her dangerous allies. In a world parallel to Will?s, called Cittagazze, he finds Lyra and they start their adventures. In Cittagazze there is a man who is holding the Subtle Knife Bearer hostage. Will and Lyra have to fight their way through to save the knife bearer, but Will does not know that the knife is waiting to be held by him. Will does not know that this knife will save him and Lyra numerous times in the near future. Lyra and Will set out to find Will?s father but they meet many dangers along the way. Along the way Lee Scoresby and Dr. Grumman are in the middle of a raging battle and only Grumman survives. Grumman just so happens to be the man Will was looking for. Soon the angels persuade him to abandon Lyra to go and bring Lord Asriel exactly what he needs to overthrow the authority. Meanwhile Lyra has been captured and taken to Mrs. Coulter?s camp a little way ahead of them??

Review

The actors did very well with the emotions of the characters. The actress playing Lyra sounds a little younger than I imagined her.

The story was very well narrated by Philip Pullman.

Philip Pullman was very good at describing what was happening, all the action!

Some of the sound was slightly muffled but it did not stop me from enjoying the audio book.

Having watched and enjoyed the movie 'The Golden Compass' I heard many friends who had read the original books and expressed how much better they were than the film. I didn't realise how right they were! Fantastically written and brilliantly read by Mr Pullman himself this audiobook was truly a joy. The actors were all of the highest standard and the whole thing left me enraptured from start to finish. Top notch.

This is the second book in Philip Pullmans 'His Dark Materials' trilogy. I was worried that this couldn't in any way compare with the first book 'Northern Lights' which i throughly enjoyed. How wrong was i, this had me enthralled even more so!
Once again Pullman and the rest of the cast manage to draw you into the adventure so that you could actually be a daemon yourself!
The story spans a new world with new & old friends and enemies for Lyra, you are taken on a rollercoaster of an adventure which manages to shake your emotions on all levels.
The only downfall i can see is that i only have the last book now left to listen to, once i've listened to that i'll miss Lyra and her friends as it's a priviledge to be allowed on such an adventure.

The Subtle Knife is a great sequel to The Northern Lights. If you liked the first, you will love this one just as much, if not more. This book expands on Lyra’s world from the first book, and introduces several others and the possibility of infinite worlds. It concentrates mainly on our human world though which is parallel to Lyra’s.

Story – 4/5

This is probably my favourite of the 3 books. My only criticism relative to the first book was that it was too short. It doesn’t take away from the story at all; it just didn’t last very long and left me wanting a lot more (a bit picky really I know)

Although the world expands into something more complex, Phil still writes in a way that makes it very simple to understand and follow

It takes you on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster; there are funny moments, sad moments and some very heart-warming ones. Very unusual for a YA book but I prefer it this way. This just shows how good the character development is, as we end up genuinely concerned for what happens to them.

Performance – 5/5

As with the first book, it is still Phil Pullman with a cast of voice actors – which is absolutely superb. If you are reading this review to see if all the books are good before delving in (I do the same), you will not be disappointed with the consistency and high production value of the performance.

All other audiobooks I have read have been with a single person acting all of the voices. Although a lot of them are excellent, nothing compares to have females doing females and males doing male voices. This contrast in each voice also allows you to relax more when enjoying the story and not worry about who is who in a conversation.

Overall – 4.5/5

Warning – If you are easily offended by little ‘digs’ at Christianity, you may want to not read these stories. They are subtle and mostly happen in the 3rd book, but I would consider this book to Paganism what Narnia is to Christianity. That aside, they are very good young adult fantasy books.

This dramastrised book is a fantastic story to listen to in the cars with the kids. Hand on heart I can say that the children are completely engrossed in the story and piece and quiet as soon as the story starts. My kids now ask for the story and also stay in the car till the chapter ends, so they don't miss anything .

Audible on the iPhone is a god send and would recommend everyone to download the app and enjoy the story and quiet while you drive. 150% fabulous

If you've listened to the Northern Lights and enjoyed it then you probably won't need this review because you'll be doing as I did and working through the three. Whilst not as long as the first, and possibly not featuring the same tension due to laying the ground work for what is it to come, this is still an essential listen.

In this second installment Philip Pullman manages to answer a few questions from the The Northern Lights and also opens up new ones for The Amber Spyglass. He does so by expanding the worlds and revealing the extent of his imagination. And it's all tightly knit together by strong characters and a fun and engaging story.

Having taken a while to get used to the storytelling style of the previous book with Pullman as the narrator and other actors as the individual characters, I found I was now fully immersed and simply enjoyed the story with Pullman's reading as engaging as all the other actors.

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman is a subtle brilliant listen. Lyra meets Will Parry in an alternate Oxford. They join forces together and discover a world where Spectres attack adults and do not bother children. In this world, Will fights to win the subtle knife, a knife capable of cutting through every bond. Will and Lyra then journey together to find Will's father. Once again narrated by Philip Pullman and a brilliant cast of actors, that brings even more life to a great story.

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